Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-05-22

~, rscordo man, who forgels every
thing, OF clumsily, is soon tripped up.
Jhe actor would seem 10 have more
use for his memory than the men and
women OF other professions. He is
compelled net only 10 remember ideas,
but exact words, and when his task on
q single prbduction is multiplied by
the numbet in which he takes part
during hs career, = the results
which he achieves appear almost
incredible, and il is obvious that
no such task is made on the actors
memory now in these days of comb
nation and indefinite repetition OF parts
as WAS made in the days of stock COM
ponies, when programmes were in a
constant condition Of rearrangement.
and the bringing forward OF q new
play was almost a nightly occurrcnca.
Then parts were studied overnight. or
at TIE best within few days, aud two
or three rChearsals were considered sui
ficient in the way Of preparation. I'M
der such circumstances the actor WIS
constantly called upon for feats OF
memory.
u have no doubt" said an old actor
lie ether day TO the writer. "that
many of the players OF thirty or forty
wears ago who made the pro 'essiOn their
liie-woIk learned during their career as
many as 1900 parts ] have learned
1000 parts myself, and became identi-
fed with runs, as they are now
called, very early in my career.
Take, for instance, tho case of
player In a stock-company in St
Louis and Pittsburgh, when it
was the custom of the star TO travel and
find different supporting company
waiting for him in each different city
he visited. | tell you the supporting
company had TO do some tall memoriz-
ing. 1t was no unusual thing for For
rest TO change bis bill every night.
Those were the times that a man had 70
have a quick study or he was not much
use in the profession. Twenty lengths
were nothing for him.
Glow much is length 2"
a length is forty lines II is the
measure by which the theatrical copy
ist was paid, and is still paid, because
the typewriter is not tolerated in any
good stock theatre. The copying OF
plays and parts is one of the perqui-
sites of the prompter. The copying OF
play by an old cOpyist is a matter Of
S25 But thon the book was perfectly
marked, so that if stage manager
took it mp be could rehearse from it at
once without having to devise exits and
entrances and stage business rs he pro-
ceeded. These typewriter copies Of
plays, costing s. or SO, are mere
transcripts Of the dialogue. When
they are finished and tied with
blue ribbons they are only half
done. But outside of the de-
sire among old managers to cherish
good old theatrical customs. the copy
ing of plays is left in the theatre be
cause under such arrangement no copy
Of valuable manuscript can possibly
get into the hands of pirates Ii has
been since the introduction Of the type
writer that stolen and printed versions
of successful plays have been 50 plen-
ty. The actual mOney-value OF these
manuscripts may be estimated when it
is known that Mrs. Agnes Booth offered
A. NJ. Palmer $2j, 900 for the couutry
rights to Jim, the Penman. Mr. Palmer
refused the proposition, as he believed |
there was much more money than that
for him in the play
Twenty lengths, which is mentioned
by the old actor as an ordinary task for |
a player. contains enough words to |
make over two columns. An entire |
play usually contains between 5000 |
and 90, 600 words. or in the neighbOr-
hood Of ten newspaper columns. 1t is
related of Joseph Whiting, now of
Helen Dauvray's company, that while
in Manager Spaldings stock company
in ST. Louis a number of years ago
he was suddenly called upon to do
the part of Jean Renaud in the Cele-
bratod Case. Charles Thornc, who had
been doing If, refused for some reason
or other to continue. The part was
long one, and the management did not
know what could be done in the few
hours notice which they had before
performance. Finally Mr.. Whiting
was secured. He had seen the per
Torrance once. He got the part very
late in the afternoon and played it that
night without a mistake. OF course |
this does not begin to compare with the
performance of an Edinburgh actor
who, on a WAGER, would read the en-
tire first page of newspaper and re-
peat it, word for word, advertisements |
and all, without an instant's hesitation.